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armed with bow and shield: ¹⁸and next to him
Jehozabad, and with him an hundred and
fourscore thousand ready prepared for war.
¹⁹These were they that waited on the king,
beside those whom the king put in the fenced
cities throughout all Judah.
17. armed with bow and shield] i.e. light-armed troops; compare
note on xiv. 8.
Chapter XVIII.
1‒3 (compare 1 Kings xxii. 1‒4).
The Alliance between Jehoshaphat and Ahab.

¹Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour


in abundance; and he joined affinity with
Ahab.
1. joined affinity] Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat married
Athaliah the daughter of Ahab (2 Kings viii. 16, 18, 26). Athaliah
though called “daughter” of Omri in 2 Kings viii. 26 was really his
grand-daughter.

²And after certain years he went down to Ahab


to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen
for him in abundance, and for the people that
were with him, and moved him to go up with
him to Ramoth-gilead.
2. killed sheep and oxen] This phrase implies a feast, for flesh is
eaten in the East only on festal occasions. The phrase used for
supplying necessary food is to set bread and water before one.

Ramoth-gilead] Deuteronomy iv. 43; 1 Kings iv. 13, xxii. 3; 2


Kings viii. 28, ix. 1 and 14. Ramoth was a city of refuge and (under
Solomon) the seat of the governor of a province. Probably it was the
most important Israelite city east of Jordan. Its site has not been
certainly identified (see Barnes’ note on 1 Kings iv. 13). Probably it
was on the Yarmuk near Edrei. In 1 Chronicles vi. 80 it is mentioned
as a city assigned to the sons of Merari. Apparently it was captured
from Israel by the Syrians in the time of Baasha or of Omri, and was
not restored in accordance with the treaty referred to in 1 Kings xx.
34.

³And Ahab king of Israel said unto


Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Wilt thou go with
me to Ramoth-gilead? And he answered him, I
am as thou art, and my people as thy people;
and we will be with thee in the war.
3. and we will be with thee in the war] In 1 Kings the
corresponding phrase is, my horses as thy horses. The phrases in 1
Kings need not be more than the expression of oriental politeness.
At the present day the Arab says to his guest, My house is thy
house, but he generally means very little by the words. The
Chronicler, however, interpreting by the event, turns the vaguer
phrase of Kings into a definite promise.

4‒27 (= 1 Kings xxii. 5‒28).


The Prophecy of Micaiah.

This narrative, apart from its intrinsic interest, is of great value for
the welcome light it throws upon the prophets in Israel. The direct
references of the later Prophets have accustomed us to the thought
that they had to contend with unworthy representatives of their
calling. Here we are made to realise with peculiar vividness that
even in the early stages of the national history the false prophet was
a menace to Israel’s spiritual enlightenment. Micaiah spake few
words, yet he deserves to rank with the great Prophets. He
resembles them at least in his overmastering conviction of the truth
and in his resolution to proclaim it, whatever cost of personal
suffering it may entail. His opponents were professedly servants of
Jehovah, and it is noteworthy that Micaiah does not accuse them of
deliberate intent to deceive Ahab but rather of self-deception and
ignorance of the truth (verse 21). Their ignorance of course was
blameworthy, for it was due to their willingness to prophesy smooth
things: they lacked that utter integrity of heart and entire devotion to
his prophetic calling which Micaiah possessed.

⁴And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel,


Inquire, I pray thee, at the word of the Lord
to-day.
4. Jehoshaphat] Compare 1 Kings iii. 11.

Inquire ... at the word] Compare Daniel ii. 10 (Authorized


Version), “no king ... asked such things at any magician.” The use of
“at” after verbs of asking is obsolete.

⁵Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets


together, four hundred men, and said unto
them, Shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle,
or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for
God shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
5. the prophets] These no doubt were prophets of Jehovah (not
of Baal); compare verse 4 and note on verse 6.

Shall we go ... or shall I forbear?] In 1 Kings, “Shall I go ... or shall


I forbear?” (so LXX., but not Peshitṭa, of Chronicles).

⁶But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here


besides a prophet of the Lord, that we might
inquire of him? ⁷And the king of Israel said
unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man by
whom we may inquire of the Lord: but I hate
him; for he never prophesieth good
concerning me, but always evil: the same is
Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat
said, Let not the king say so.
6. But Jehoshaphat said] The insertion of this lengthy account of
an event which principally concerns the Northern Kingdom is
remarkable, seeing that the Chronicler nowhere else inserts a
narrative dealing with the affairs of north Israel. Some commentators
find the chief motive for its insertion in this verse which credits
Jehoshaphat with an honourable desire to ascertain Jehovah’s real
will. A secondary motive may be that the story shows very clearly the
obstinate wickedness of Ahab, as the Chronicler would regard it, and
so lends point to the censure which is subsequently passed on
Jehoshaphat (xix. 2) for his alliance with the northern king.

Is there not here besides a prophet of the Lord] Or, Hath not the
Lord here yet another prophet. The unanimity of the four hundred
prophets aroused the suspicion of Jehoshaphat.

⁸Then the king of Israel called an officer ¹, and


said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imla.
¹ Or, eunuch.

8. called an officer] The Hebrew word means “eunuch.” From 1


Samuel viii. 15 we may perhaps conclude that such officers were
known in Israel from the very beginning of the monarchy. Compare 1
Chronicles xxviii. 1, note.

⁹Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the


king of Judah sat each on his throne, arrayed
in their robes, and they sat in an open place ¹
at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all
the prophets prophesied before them.
¹ Hebrew a threshing-floor.

9. in an open place] Render, in a threshing-floor. The threshing-


floor was convenient as being a large flat open space; compare
Genesis l. 10; 1 Chronicles xiii. 9, xxi. 18 ff.

¹⁰And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made


him horns of iron, and said, Thus saith the
Lord, With these shalt thou push the Syrians,
until they be consumed. ¹¹And all the prophets
prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth-
gilead, and prosper: for the Lord shall deliver
it into the hand of the king. ¹²And the
messenger that went to call Micaiah spake to
him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets
declare good to the king with one mouth: let
thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like one of
theirs, and speak thou good.
10. made him horns of iron] For a similar use of symbolic action
by a prophet compare Jeremiah xxvii. 2 (also xxviii. 10). For the
meaning of the phrase compare Amos vi. 13, “Have we not taken to
us horns?” i.e. “Have we not acquired military power?”

shalt thou push] Compare Deuteronomy xxxiii. 17. So Rameses II


is described in an Egyptian psalm as “the strong bull against the
Ethiopians; his horn pushes them.” (Erman, Ancient Egypt, English
Translation, p. 57.)

¹³And Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, what


my God saith, that will I speak.
13. what my God saith] Render, surely, what my God shall say.
The Divine message has not yet come to the prophet.

¹⁴And when he was come to the king, the king


said unto him, Micaiah ¹, shall we go to
Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear?
And he said, Go ye up, and prosper; and they
shall be delivered into your hand.
¹ Hebrew Micah.

14. Go ye up ... into your hand] Micaiah addresses both kings. In


1 Kings Ahab only is addressed, Go and prosper, for the Lord shall
deliver it into the hand of the king. Micaiah repeats in mocking tones
the utterance of the other prophets.

¹⁵And the king said to him, How many times


shall I adjure thee that thou speak unto me
nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?
15. that thou speak unto me nothing but the truth] The scorn in
Micaiah’s voice was noticed by the king.

¹⁶And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon


the mountains, as sheep that have no
shepherd: and the Lord said, These have no
master; let them return every man to his
house in peace. ¹⁷And the king of Israel said to
Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would
not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?
16. as sheep that have no shepherd] Compare Matthew ix. 36.
the Lord said, These have no master; let them return, etc.] The
prophet has had a vision of Israel’s army, defeated and scattered,
like a flock of sheep wandering shepherdless upon the mountains.
God, he means, proclaims that in the coming battle their king will fall
and they will be beaten and dispersed.

¹⁸And he said, Therefore hear ye the word of


the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting upon his
throne, and all the host of heaven standing on
his right hand and on his left.
18. And he said] There are three stages in the prophet’s dealings
with the king, (1) irony in verse 14, (2) serious advice in verse 16,
(3) denunciation of death in verses 18‒22.

the host of heaven] angelic beings are meant, as in Psalms ciii.


21, and probably also in Nehemiah ix. 6; Daniel iv. 35, etc., but in
these passages the usual meaning “the stars” is possible. The
parallel verse in Kings (1 Kings xxii. 19) is apparently the earliest
clear instance of the phrase in the significance “angelic beings.”

¹⁹And the Lord said, Who shall entice ¹ Ahab


king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at
Ramoth-gilead? And one spake saying after
this manner, and another saying after that
manner.
¹ Or, deceive.

19. Who shall entice Ahab] So 1 Kings (Revised Version). The


same Hebrew word is used in Jeremiah xx. 7, “thou hast deceived
(margin ‘enticed’) me,” where Jeremiah complains that he has been
called to the fruitless labour of a hated prophet. For the underlying
thought that delusion is sometimes a preliminary part of Divine
punishment compare 2 Thessalonians ii. 11 (compare 2
Thessalonians ii. 9) and the famous saying, “quem Deus vult perdere
prius dementat.” It should be noted however that the “lying spirit” in
the mouth of the 400 prophets played only a subordinate part in
Ahab’s fall, and indeed could have played no part at all, but for the
fact that the king was more than willing to be enticed. Ahab had
already made up his mind; he consulted the 400 only as an
afterthought to satisfy Jehoshaphat (verse 4), he excluded the plain-
speaking Micaiah until Jehoshaphat insisted on his presence (verses
6, 7), and he scorned the true prophet’s warning of the falseness of
the 400 (verse 26). Delusion as a Divine punishment comes only
upon the man who is willing to be deluded.

²⁰And there came forth a spirit ¹, and stood


before the Lord, and said, I will entice him.
And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith?
²¹And he said, I will go forth, and will be a lying
spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he
said, Thou shalt entice him, and shalt prevail
also: go forth, and do so.
¹ Hebrew the spirit.

20. a spirit] Hebrew the spirit, but the definite article simply
singles out one spirit from the rest. The Evil Spirit (Hebrew “the
Satan”) is not meant here but simply a superhuman being, such as
was generally conceived to be the cause of the ecstatic condition
manifested by prophets of this type (compare 1 Samuel x. 5, 6).

²²Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a


lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets;
and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning
thee.
22. the Lord hath put a lying spirit...] This and the preceding
verse are singularly interesting for the frankness with which they
apparently regard Jehovah as causing moral evil. Of course the
passage is not to be regarded as a philosophical pronouncement on
the origin of moral evil. Rather is it to be treated as a naïve
expression regarding a great fact of human life—see the conclusion
of the note on verse 19, who shall entice Ahab. Physical evils are
constantly declared in the Old Testament to originate in Jehovah’s
will; they are often sent by Him as punishments for sin. Here too it is
only as the penalty of previous sinfulness (verse 8 “I hate him”) that
the evil moral condition of the prophets who are deluded by the lying
spirit from Jehovah is imposed. A parallel may be found in Ezekiel
xiv. 1‒11. It is, however, a higher plane of thought when Jeremiah
expresses the conviction that the false prophets of his day are not
inspired at all by Jehovah, but speak solely out of their own hearts
(Jeremiah xxiii. 16, 21).

²³Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came


near, and smote Micaiah upon the cheek, and
said, Which way went the spirit of the Lord
from me to speak unto thee?
23. Zedekiah] He takes the lead as in verse 10.

smote ... upon the cheek] This phrase is tantamount to “gave an


insulting blow”; compare Micah v. 1; Matthew v. 39.

²⁴And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see on


that day, when thou shalt go into an inner
chamber ¹ to hide thyself.
¹ Or, from chamber to chamber.

24. Behold, thou shalt see] Micaiah answers Zedekiah’s gibe with
the verb “see” (rather than “know”) because of its double meaning,
“Behold, thou shalt be a seer, thou shalt possess the power of
vision,” when it is too late.

go into an inner chamber] i.e. seek safety in hiding from enemies;


compare 1 Kings xx. 30 (same Hebrew phrase).

²⁵And the king of Israel said, Take ye Micaiah,


and carry him back unto Amon the governor of
the city, and to Joash the king’s son;
25. carry him back] Micaiah is not to accompany the expedition,
having foretold its failure.

²⁶and say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow


in the prison, and feed him with bread of
affliction and with water of affliction, until I
return in peace.
26. bread of affliction ... water of affliction] Compare Ezekiel iv. 9‒
11.

²⁷And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in


peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me. And
he said, Hear, ye peoples, all of you.
27. ye peoples, all of you] The “peoples” represented at this
gathering were probably, Israel, Judah, Edom, and Moab. The
clause occurs in Micah i. 2, and in all probability has been added to
the text of Kings (which the Chronicler here copies) by a glossator,
who perhaps thought that Micaiah and Micah were one and the
same person.

28‒34 (= 1 Kings xxii. 29‒37).


The Death of Ahab at Ramoth-gilead.
²⁸So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the
king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. ²⁹And
the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will
disguise myself, and go into the battle; but put
thou on thy robes. So the king of Israel
disguised himself; and they went into the
battle.
29. I will disguise myself] Despite the warning uttered by Micaiah
the two kings decide to seek battle, and Ahab, whose failing was not
the lack of courage, resolved to take part in the fighting. To avert the
fulfilment of the prophecy, he suggests that he should not wear his
royal insignia, whilst Jehoshaphat, whose life had not been
threatened, should wear his robes and be the obvious leader of the
allied army.

and they went into the battle] 1 Kings (more correctly) and he
(Ahab) went into the battle (so LXX. here).

³⁰Now the king of Syria had commanded the


captains of his chariots, saying, Fight neither
with small nor great, save only with the king of
Israel.
30. the captains of his chariots] Thirty-two in number (1 Kings).
While the rest of the Syrian army met the Israelite attack, the
chariots were to act as an independent force, whose primary task
should be to kill or capture Ahab. The king of Syria felt himself
overmatched and thought that the only chance of victory lay in the
fall of the Israelite commander. Compare 2 Kings iii. 26 (the king of
Moab tries to break through to the king of Edom).
³¹And it came to pass, when the captains of
the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said,
It is the king of Israel. Therefore they turned
about to fight against him: but Jehoshaphat
cried out, and the Lord helped him; and God
moved them to depart from him. ³²And it came
to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw
that it was not the king of Israel, that they
turned back from pursuing him.
31. saw Jehoshaphat ... to fight] The captains of the chariots who
had been instructed to direct all their efforts towards slaying the king
of Israel, at length perceived Jehoshaphat conspicuous in his royal
robes. The various chariots turned aside from lesser enemies, and
then, discovering their mistake and obeying their orders, left him to
continue their search for Ahab.

and God moved them to depart from him] These words anticipate
verse 32 and are not found in 1 Kings Jehoshaphat’s cry was to his
soldiers for aid, but the Chronicler apparently took it to be a cry to
Jehovah, and accordingly added these words.

³³And a certain man drew his bow at a


venture ¹, and smote the king of Israel between
the joints of the harness ²: wherefore he said to
the driver of the chariot, Turn thine hand, and
carry me out of the host; for I am sore
wounded.
¹ Hebrew in his simplicity.

² Or, the lower armour and the breastplate.


33. And a certain man drew a bow] Render, But a certain man
had drawn a bow. God had already brought about that which the
Syrians were labouring to perform.

at a venture] literally in his innocence, i.e. without knowing that


he was aiming at Ahab. Compare 2 Samuel xv. 11.

between the joints of the harness] Probably between the


breastplate (or coat of mail) and the appendages to it; the wound
would be in the lower part of the body.

³⁴And the battle increased that day: howbeit


the king of Israel stayed himself up in his
chariot against the Syrians until the even: and
about the time of the going down of the sun he
died.
34. stayed himself up in his chariot] 1 Kings was stayed up. Ahab
sustained his reputation as a good soldier (compare 1 Kings xx. 14,
xxii. 31) to the last; his death caused the failure of the attack on
Ramoth (1 Kings xxii. 36).

Chapter XIX.
1‒3 (no parallel in Kings).
The Reproof of Jehu the Prophet.

¹And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah


returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem.
1. in peace] i.e. in safety. LXX. (B) omitted the phrase.
²And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out
to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat,
Shouldest thou help the wicked, and love
them that hate the Lord? for this thing wrath
is upon thee from before the Lord.
2. Jehu the son of Hanani] He must have been an old man at this
time, for he had prophesied against Baasha (1 Kings xvi. 1), since
whose reign two kings had ruled in Israel, viz., Omri (12 years) and
Ahab (22 years). It appears, however, as if the Chronicler ignored or
overlooked 1 Kings xvi. 1, for in 2 Chronicles xvi. 7 Hanani, Jehu’s
father, is mentioned rebuking Asa, Jehoshaphat’s father. The two
passages, in Kings and Chronicles, are not hopelessly irreconcilable,
but together they yield a very odd and improbable sequence: the son
active in Baasha’s reign, the father in Asa’s, and again after some 40
years the son in Jehoshaphat’s time!

and love them that hate the Lord] Compare Psalms cxxxix. 21,
22. Actually, of course, Ahab even in this narrative appears as an
adherent of Jehovah, whose prophets he consults. The phrase “them
that hate the Lord” reflects the Chronicler’s view of north Israel.

for this thing] Israel (in the Chronicler’s eyes) being wholly and
utterly bad, apostate from Jehovah, Jehoshaphat’s alliance with
Ahab had to be construed as a most serious sin which should meet
with severe punishment.

wrath is upon thee] the impending visitation of anger comes to


pass in the invasion of the Moabite and Ammonite tribes described in
chapter xx. For “wrath” (Hebrew ḳeṣeph) compare 2 Kings iii. 27,
Revised Version margin.

³Nevertheless there are good things found in


thee, in that thou hast put away the Asheroth
out of the land, and hast set thine heart to
seek God.
3. good things] Compare xii. 12 (note).

the Asheroth] plural of “Asherah”; compare notes on xiv. 3, and


xv. 16.

4‒11 (no parallel in Kings).


Jehoshaphat’s Home Policy for Instruction in the Law and
Administration of Justice.

4‒11. This section has already been discussed in connection with


xvii. 7‒9, where see the head-note. Compare also the Introduction
§ 7, p. li.

⁴And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and


he went out again among the people from
Beer-sheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and
brought them back unto the Lord, the God of
their fathers.
4. Beer-sheba] Compare note on 1 Chronicles iv. 28.

brought them back] Some further measures against idolatry seem


to be meant.

⁵And he set judges in the land throughout all


the fenced cities of Judah, city by city, ⁶and
said to the judges, Consider what ye do: for ye
judge not for man, but for the Lord; and he is
with you in the judgement ¹. ⁷Now therefore let
the fear of the Lord be upon you; take heed
and do it: for there is no iniquity with the Lord
our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of
gifts.
¹ Or, in giving judgement Hebrew in the matter of judgement.

5. And he set judges] Compare verse 11 “also the Levites shall


be officers”; and Deuteronomy xvi. 18 “judges and officers shalt thou
make thee in all thy gates.”

In the earliest days justice was administered in Israel, as among


the Bedouin of to-day, probably by all heads of families and (in
difficult cases) by the one head who was distinguished above the
rest for impartiality and for knowledge of tribal custom. In later days
when Israel was settled in Canaan the “elders of the cities” and the
“elders of the priests” exercised the same functions. The priests also
at the great shrines, by their responses in matters brought for the
decision of the Divine oracle, exercised an important part in the
development and administration of law in Israel. In the monarchic
period the King acted as a judge before whom difficult and important
disputes seem to have been brought. His willingness to hear such
cases (2 Samuel viii. 15, xv. 3 ff.) and his wisdom in deciding them (1
Kings iii. 9, etc.) evidently affected his authority and popularity to no
small extent. In the present passage it is noteworthy that the King
delegates this authority even in Jerusalem.

Jehoshaphat’s measures, as here described, are twofold, (1) to


establish judges throughout the cities of Judah (compare
Deuteronomy xvi. 18), (2) to establish (in accordance with
Deuteronomy xvii. 8 ff.) a kind of court of appeal in Jerusalem itself.

⁸Moreover in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set


of the Levites and the priests, and of the
heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel, for the
judgement of the Lord, and for controversies.
And they returned to Jerusalem.
8. for the judgement of the Lord, and for controversies] By the
first expression the Chronicler refers to religious as contrasted with
civil cases (controversies), or perhaps more generally to matters
regarding which some decision could be found in the Law of the Lord
(i.e. in the Pentateuch, according to the Chronicler’s belief). The
second phrase (“controversies”) probably means civil disputes for
which arbitration, rather than a strictly legal decision, was suitable.

And they returned to Jerusalem] These words are certainly a


textual mistake. Read either, And they (the judges appointed by
Jehoshaphat) dwelt in Jerusalem: i.e. the most difficult cases could
always be decided in Jerusalem, because the judges were always
there. Or read, and for the controversies of the inhabitants of
Jerusalem (compare LXX.). In either case the change in Hebrew is
very slight.

⁹And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye


do in the fear of the Lord, faithfully, and with a
perfect heart.
9. a perfect heart] i.e. a heart undivided in its allegiance; compare
1 Chronicles xii. 38. The judges were not to attempt to combine the
service of God with the taking of bribes.

¹⁰And whensoever any controversy shall come


to you from your brethren that dwell in their
cities, between blood and blood, between law
and commandment, statutes and judgements,
ye shall warn them, that they be not guilty
towards the Lord, and so wrath come upon
you and upon your brethren: this do, and ye
shall not be guilty.
10. between blood and blood] To decide between one kind of
blood-shedding and another, i.e. between manslaughter and murder.
Deuteronomy xvii. 8.

between law and commandment] To decide what particular


ordinance applies to a particular case.

ye shall warn them] Compare Ezekiel iii. 17‒21.

wrath] Hebrew ḳeṣeph; see note on verse 2.

¹¹And, behold, Amariah the chief priest is over


you in all matters of the Lord; and Zebadiah
the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of
Judah, in all the king’s matters: also the
Levites shall be officers before you. Deal
courageously ¹, and the Lord be with the
good.
¹ Hebrew Be strong and do.

11. Amariah] Perhaps the one mentioned in 1 Chronicles vi. 11 [v.


37, Hebrew].

matters of the Lord] i.e. in all religious and ritual questions.


Contrast the king’s matters, i.e. civil cases, such probably as
questions of taxation, military service, and so forth.

officers before you] i.e. waiting to execute your instructions.


Chapter XX.
1‒4 (no parallel in Kings).
The Invasion of the Moabites and their Allies.

Verses 1‒30 of this chapter present an edifying tale of a


miraculous victory gained by Jehoshaphat over an invading horde of
desert tribes, a victory gained solely through prayer to Jehovah and
without a single blow being struck by a Judean soldier. The whole
narrative is an admirable example of midrashic narrative, and should
be compared with xiv. 9‒15 and xiii. 3‒20, where see notes.
Regarding the possibility of an historical foundation for the tale, see
the Introduction § 7, xlix, l, and compare G. A. Smith, Historical
Geography of the Holy Land, pp. 272, 273.

¹And it came to pass after this, that the


children of Moab, and the children of Ammon,
and with them some of the Ammonites ¹, came
against Jehoshaphat to battle.
¹ Perhaps an error for Meunim. So the Septuagint See chapter
xxvi. 7.

1. some of the Ammonites] Read, some of the Meunim. They


were an Arabian people whose name seems to be preserved in that
of Ma‘īn, an Edomitic village (south-east of Petra) on the pilgrim
route between Damascus and Mecca. The LXX. here, as also in
xxvi. 7; 1 Chronicles iv. 41, has Μειναῖοι (Μιναῖοι), and probably
intended thereby the Minaeans, a people who established a powerful
kingdom in South Arabia (see the note on 1 Chronicles iv. 41).

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